One Shot

One Shot

Alexander the Great conquered the entire known world by the time he was 33 years old, and then he died.

Mother Theresa won a Nobel Peace Prize for her work among the poor before dying at the age of 87.

Abraham Lincoln failed many times as a businessman and politician before becoming the 16th president of the United States. He goes down in history as the man who issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He died at the age of 56.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. died at the age of 39, but not before becoming known as perhaps the greatest crusader for human rights.

No one really knows how old the Apostle Paul was when he died, but he is remembered as the greatest missionary ever.

Do you know what these folks have in common?

Each of them used the one life they were given

to accomplish great things and leave an incredible mark on history.

Each of us here today has been given one life;

• We’ve been given one shot to do something great.

• Now Maybe we aren’t called to go down as anything special in the history books,

• but greatness isn’t necessarily measured by what people know

or what they remember.

Jesus tells us in Jn 15:8 My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father..”

I can’t imagine anything greater happening in my life

• Than knowing that God is glorified by the fruit I bear.

• By what I do , how I act

• But at the same time I’m ashamed to admit that alot of the pages in the book of my life

• are filled with sin that dishonors Him.

• Many of the pages record nothing more than the routine of my religion.

• The part to me that is hardest to accept is there’s no erasing what’s been written. What I’ve already done

• If I could go back and erase every sinful thing I hate about myself, I would do it.

• If I could go back and give meaning to the ruts of Christianity

• in which I’ve often gotten stuck, I wouldn’t hesitate to do that either.

If I could, I’d make sure every page in my book of life recorded me bearing fruit to God’s glory. But I can’t.

• But, at the same time I know that there is at least one blank page left in my book.

• I alone decide what is going to be written on that page

• I alone have the power to decide what kind of fruit I bear.

• So it all comes down to What will I write in my book?

• And today What will you write in your book?

Today we’re going to look at John 15:3-10

And I want to talk about using our one shot

• Today each one of us has one page left to write that we can write

• Each one of us has “one shot” to live for His glory.

• And I want to offer up five questions that I hope that you’ll consider

• as you think about what you’re doing with this one shot:

1 Am I Living Like I Am Changed? (:3)

John 15:3 says, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”

• Each one of us here today were at one time capable of producing nothing but sin

• Each one of us here today were at one time capable of producing nothing but selfishness.

• Now we have been given the opportunity to produce fruit that has eternal value!

But the problem is that many Christians haven’t really changed;

• Maybe they’ve changed their language, / friends, / practices have

• But spiritually they aren’t bearing eternal fruit.

• So the question now becomes

• What are you doing to bear the most fruit that you possibly can for His glory?

2. Which leads to Am I Living Like I’m Clean? (:3)

We just read in John 15:3 that we are already clean

• One of the things that can really bog a Christian down and keep him from producing fruit is their past.

• Maybe you’ve got a little history;

• maybe you’ve got some skeletons in your closet.

• Whatever it is, the first thing we have to understand is that if God has forgiven you,

• He has completely forgiven you.

This is one of the most amazing things about the gospel—

• Is it’s all done by God’s power,

• We didn’t have to do anything

• We didn’t have to order it / subscribe to it / pay for it / beg for it

• it’s all done by God’s power, And God’s power is complete.